A Relationship Renewed in God's Love

Jay & Karen's Story

Jay found himself so broken down that his only prayer was for God to make it all stop.

Raised all his life in a Catholic church, Jay’s relationship with God didn’t go very far beyond attending a service every Sunday. When he married his first wife after college, they both struggled with alcohol consumption, and their marriage inevitably ended in a nasty divorce that sparked custody battles over their two sons.

“I remember saying, ‘God, if you don’t make this stop, I’ll be dead.’"

After life started to settle down, Jay met Karen, and after dating for two years they decided to get married. A few months into their marriage, the custody issues started again. Jay turned back to alcohol to numb the pain, while Karen retreated into herself–and their marriage suffered.

Karen felt the need to move out of the house she shared with Jay, and she filed for divorce.

And that’s when Jay realized his life was once again falling apart.

“I remember saying, ‘God, if you don’t make this stop, I’ll be dead.’"

After a night of desperate praying, Jay felt the need to call his first wife and apologize. She then began taking him to AA, where Jay began reading the Bible with his sponsor.

Meanwhile, Karen was dealing with the divorce and separation on her own. She passed LCBC every day and continued to feel the urge to go. When she started attending, she found a community of women and began praying for Jay. She prayed for him for three years.

But God was working in Jay continuously–through the night when Jay decided to accept him.

“The night I turned my life over to God…” Jay says, “I had this weight that was removed."

Jay and Karen reunited and remarried on the day that Jay vowed to stay sober.